Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a 14 million AmericansIn recent years, the American Lung Association has asserted that, given the prevalence of patients presenting with symptoms consistent with the following, there may be many more unreported cases of COPD in the United States. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease progression. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, More than 25 million Americans already suffer from impaired lung function In the form of asthma, rural patients are at particularly high risk.
Recent data show People in rural areas have relatively less access to care. Pulmonologists are in high demand as an aging physician population is driving the rise of “nursing deserts”: geographic areas where patients have no access to specialized care providers. Fortunately, modern medical technology—including solutions that integrate machine learning and artificial intelligence—can help bridge the gap and ensure rural patients get the care they need.
With COPD in particular, doctor-patient interaction is critical to providing quality care and improving outcomes. Rural patients with COPD, asthma, or other respiratory conditions should take proactive steps to ensure they have access to skilled care providers using traditional or digital-based services.
The rise of pulmonary “nursing deserts”
Research shows that rural people often lack access to pulmonologists.In the past ten years, only 34.5% of people in rural areas received help from a pulmonologist Within 10 miles, and 92% of pulmonologists are located in urban areas, this forces COPD patients with limited access to rely on the care provided by primary care physicians. Data released by the Department of Health and Human Services Indicating that shortages may be particularly severe in the South, less so in the Northeast, and somewhere in between in the West.
Several factors contributed to the spread of these “nursing deserts”. The main factor is the demographics of the physicians. It is expected that by 2025, The country will have a shortage of 1,400 pulmonologists, making the specialized care they provide invaluable – and, for many patients, inaccessible.just ended today 70% of pulmonologists are over the age of 55. Many will retire within ten years. Given the number and age of pulmonologists today, there are too many areas to cover and too few specialists to cover.
Economic realities further exacerbate the problem. Many rural hospitals are unable to provide holiday or weekend relief, making it difficult to recruit and retain critical care specialists.This is especially limiting when about half of pulmonologists are reported to be experiencing burnout, with 37% rated their burnout Strong or severe, 6% considered leaving the medical profession altogether. The high rate of burnout is not surprising. Pulmonologists working in hospital settings are at the forefront of the Covid-19 pandemic, which is forcing physicians to respond to acute, hypertensive situations where patients’ lives are at risk.
The pandemic has also created new, steeper barriers to patient care, further reducing doctor-patient interaction during an already precarious time.Pandemic containment efforts have created significant Burden of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, their condition puts them at risk if they contract Covid-19. To avoid exposure risks, many patients must avoid visiting their care providers in person.
These challenges present a pressing issue for people living in rural communities—many of whom will need access to specialized COPD treatments that are increasingly difficult to find.As the condition worsens, more patients will progress to advanced stages of COPD, which makes breathing difficult, significantly reduces quality of life, and is The 5-year survival rates for men and women were 78% and 72%, respectively.
Modern technology may offer an oasis
Advanced remote monitoring and telemedicine systems could provide pulmonologists and patients a way to bridge the care gap and create a proverbial oasis in the ever-expanding care desert. Remote monitoring solutions, such as wearables that capture patient biometrics, have made significant strides in recent years, allowing patients to communicate important health data to their care providers regardless of physical distance. Combined with the development of increasingly sophisticated and user-friendly telemedicine platforms, patients now benefit from new ways of accessing quality care consultations from anywhere with an internet connection.
In pulmonology, this can be exploited through the use of passive remote monitoring, artificial intelligence and carefully curated telemedicine systems to enhance the “spontaneous breathing practice” of digitally delivered pulmonology care. Passive, non-contact remote monitoring systems can capture respiratory biomarkers while patients sleep. The software can then use machine learning to identify irregular patterns, flag them as important, and send them to remote care teams for routine or proactive intervention using an integrated telehealth system.
Although artificial intelligence and machine learning are still in the early stages of medical device integration, the model could provide significant Reduce rescue inhaler use and the number of emergency rooms and hospitalizations. This means that the burden on patients, caregivers and hospital systems can be significantly reduced.
race against time
Demographic changes within pulmonology, the inability of rural hospitals to match incentives for urban hospitals, and, more recently, the rational reluctance of respiratory patients to increase in-person visits, have contributed to the continued growth of the U.S. pulmonary care desert. Therefore, rural healthcare organizations must take immediate steps to ensure they provide access to specialists through traditional or digital solutions to meet the critical needs of these patients.
Photo: chrupka, Getty Images
